The present invention relates generally to a new arrangement for displaying a decorative tree such as a Christmas tree. More specifically, the present invention relates to a unique assembly that provides for hanging a Christmas tree for display in upright position while also including a variety of additional features that facilitate installing the tree in the desired position and allow for adjustment of the position of the tree as necessary.
Generally, Christmas tree stands such as are typically found in the prior art are well known. They are formed to include a wide stand base to provide stability in order to hold the tree upright and include a means for gripping the base of the tree that is generally positioned centrally in the stand base. Due to the manner in which these stands support the tree in a vertical position, all of these prior art stands by their nature tend to be unstable to some extent. The instability is simply the result of the fact that the lever arm that the tree possesses will always be greater than the lever arm that the base stand possesses. Accordingly, anytime a force is exerted against the tree, the force is likely to be sufficient to result in overturning the tree. Additionally, prior art stands also suffer from the shortfall of being unable to adequately support a tree that has a trunk that is substantially off center or that is not substantially straight. In such cases, should the center of gravity of the tree lie close to the edge of or outside the radius of the base of the tree stand, the tree may be highly unstable or even impossible to stand upright.
There are a number of Christmas tree stands that attempt to deal with the above problem and generally take the form of a two-part stand that includes some form of swivel that receives the trunk of the tree, which is in turn received in a stand base. The swivel is installed onto and grips the base of the tree trunk. The tree with the swivel attached is then placed into a lockable receptor in the base stand and with the tree oriented vertically the receptor and swivel are secured to one another. One such prior art stand includes a cup-shaped holder that can be inclined relative to a vertical orientation to permit proper positioning of the tree thereby compensating for irregularities in the tree shape. Additionally another such stand includes a hemispherical ball that is received and retained by two adjustable jaws. Finally, another such stand includes three adjustable length legs to straighten the tree.
The difficulty with all of these prior art stands is that in the context of the overall problem stated above, that is the large mechanical advantage which the tree has over any of these stands, a base type stand solution will always be flawed. In view of this inherent problem, other prior art solutions have been directed towards suspending the decorative tree from above. In general these systems include a hook assembly that is installed into the ceiling, a tree engaging member that is installed onto or around the tree trunk and a strap that extends between the tree engaging member and the hook thereby suspending the tree. Some of these devices utilize a mesh type tube that engages the top of the tree, however this is quite unsightly. Another option provides for engaging the tree utilizing straps that are configured similar to wire ties. The difficulty here is that these devices do not allow readjustment of the tree once installed and require that the user support the weight of the tree when suspending it.
In view of the shortcomings in the prior art solutions, there is a need for a means for hanging a Christmas tree for display that is convenient, adjustable and easy to use while providing a secure support for maintaining the tree in an upright position.